Mother’s Day & I found a recording of me doing a solo!

 Last night was our outing for (a belated) Mother’s Day.  My mom and Kevin and all three of my kids plus Jarrett - my middle daughter’s live-in boyfriend- and I were there.  We were going to eat at a Mexican place but they had an hour and forty-five minute wait so my mom secured a long table across the street at a pizza/bar type place.  Nobody got pizza actually: my mom and I got cavatappi mac ‘n cheese -my favorite- hers with bacon, mine with jalapeños.  Noah and I split a dessert: fried cookie dough in a fried roll cut in half diagonally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauces.  I got cards- one of which had a $25 Starbucks gift card in it, which is good because after buying my contacts and eye exam last week, I’m broke (practically).  Next month will be tight, too, I’m predicting.  

I had a relaxing morning.  I listened to another professional recording that I did with the Grail Singers back around 2005.  It’s not as spectacular as the one when I was pregnant with Noah and I barely recognized a lot of the pieces but my name is printed on the CD insert so I must’ve sung for the recording!  Even better, I found a live concert CD of us and the third track is a Gregorian chant with a solo in the middle and darned it it isn’t me!  I don’t have a memory of singing that solo but that’s unmistakably my voice and my style of singing!  I also talked with Caleb this morning for about an hour and a half- not as long as sometimes but still a worthwhile conversation.  Just a few minutes ago I messaged him that I love him and he was happy about that.

Oh! They killed EVERYthing!

 Time just keeps going.  I don't even know why I'm writing this, except that I just looked through my Facebook memories and they were from 2010, 2012, etc.  I didn't even have this blog in 2010!  Below, I've posted a link to a video of me and Nataleigh, my daughter.  This must have been around 2006 considering how old she looks.  We were just having a great time at Wendy's for lunch.  It's not the best quality because it was filmed on an old phone-  MAYbe on my iPhone?  Or if not, maybe the one before that which was not a smart phone.  I'm not sure, but I don't have an iPhone anymore.  That was years ago, which may match up with when this was taken, actually.  Me and Nataleigh at Wendy's . 

But back to time keeps going... We all know this.  Every day, you are that much older.  Kids grow up, have their own kids, etc. and pretty soon the photos and videos of me and MY kids turn into them and THEIR kids.  This hasn't happened yet for me, but I watched it happen to my mother.  And I see old pictures of when MY kids were born and think that I was 25 at the time my eldest came into this world, and that would make my mom 50 in those pix.  Now, this year, I turn 49!  I'm not expecting any of my kids to have a baby any time soon, but anything is possible.  My parents are now 74 this year and I see things in the news about famous people dying at age 83, etc.  That gives my parents another 10 or so years to live and then they will be gone.  Well, it all depends.  Anything could happen.  My mom's mom lived until she was 94 and my dad's parents lived into their 90's as well.  My maternal grandfather died in his early 80's because he had lung and brain cancer.  So now all my four grandparents are dead.  Nothing unusual about that, I supposed when I'm nearly 50.  I was sad that they died, but it is going to be really hard when my parents die.  I am not looking forward to that day, except to imagine that I will be very sad.  

So for today, I think I'll clean something.  Call my kids.  My youngest is in school today all day, so I shouldn't call and disturb him.  The old videos that I found and put on youtube recently- one of them was me and the kids at the dinosaur museum.  Nathan and Nataleigh walked into a different room, but Noah kept walking in the big, main room filled with animal skeletons both big and small.  A few seconds in, he exclaims, "Oh!  They killed EVERYthing!"  Fun to actually see him say one of the funny things he has always said that I've written down and written books about! Oh! They killed EVERYthing!

Time just keeps going.  And that's good.  I'm an archivist at heart.  I love taking photographs and writing down quotes of my kids'.  Today, the funny things they say are far and few between- mostly because I don't live with them 24/7/365 like I used to.  But every so often, I catch a flash of something remarkable.  It certainly has made for great conversations over the years!  So here's to today and tomorrow and yesterday.  May we keep in touch with our family so those memories don't fade and we make new memories every day!

Talking with the Kids and Amazon Prime Shows

 I just ran into one of my milk crate full of records with my pinkie toe.  OUCH.  It recovered just fine but that initial ouch isn't fun.

I called N1 and N3 tonight.  (I think it's a little late to call N2.)  N3 was telling me about how he does calculus online.  Apparently, you type a series of characters to make a math symbol.  And the computer corrects your problems after you submit each one.  If you're taking a quiz you can change it X number of times but if its an exam, you can only change it twice and then it locks you out.  He was also telling me about his biology class.  Lots to memorize he says.  N1 told me about computer games that use artificial intelligence.  I was telling her about the shows I've been watching.  One is called "Upload" about uploading people's beings into an electronic avatar and people are assigned to watched them from earth via computers.   The two main characters fall in love- one human and one avatar.  I finished watched all of season 1 and there is probably going to be a season 2 but not until 2021.  Also, N1 and I discussed going to the doctor because I have my annual appointment on Monday.  We were talking about getting vaccines.  She relayed a story about when she was young and we were at the doctor for her annual appointment and she decided to be stoic and get the shot and after that I said that we could go out to eat as a treat because of how well she did and that she could pick the place.  I love that the kids relay their memories with me. Did not talk with N2 because by the time I was off the phone with the other two, it was nearly 10 and I think that's too late to call someone, unless they're in an earlier time zone.

I did laundry today.  There are three washers and three dryers downstairs on the lowest level.  I put my laundry in the washer and set an alarm for when it should be done.  (The machine has a count down.)  When I came back, all three dryers were in use.  They have timers, too, so I set my alarm for 20 minutes because one of them had 15 minutes left on it.  When I went down again, there were a few people in there just about to leave, so I got to use a dryer.  It takes 30 minutes for the washers and 60 minutes for the dryers.  I set an alarm on my phone so I get down there again relatively close to when the machines are done.  It costs $1.75 per wash/dry.  So that's $3.50  per load.  I do take my laundry to my mom's sometimes, but that's a long time to be over there.

I am enjoying my new apartment.  Its been a couple weeks since I've swept, mopped and vacuumed the floors.  I will do that tomorrow.  I've been here 5 weeks as of today.  I should also go to the grocery store to get a few items.  I try to use the twenty-items-max check outs because there isn't usually a line on the left side.  The right side always has a line and all the regular lanes have a long line down an aisle that is perpendicular to the line of checkout lanes.  The left side, however, doesn't usually have a line and if they do, it goes quickly and is shorter than the right side.  I brought my chairs and table in from the balcony because they were fixing them all week.  Today was the last day they were going to be here.  I'd put the furniture back out there, but I'm waiting for my colorful lights to show up and I want room to stand while putting the strand around the railing.  I should clear off the dining room table.  Its covered in notes and bills.  Luckily, only one hasn't been paid.  It's going to go through automatically later in the month, but I could call and pay it early if I wanted to.  I took out the trash today, too.  

I've been eating a lot lately.  Not huge amounts, but frequently.  I get hungry about every 2 to 3 hours.  And Whole Foods has stopped carrying my dried seaweed that I like.  I should start keeping track of what I'm eating, again.  I have gained maybe 4 pounds since I moved here.  That's a lot of excess calories!  The weather was nice today.  I should've gone for a walk.  Maybe if it's warm again tomorrow I will walk.  But, I'm still at about a 40 pound loss.  I hope my doctor notices on Monday.  I think I need to lose another 40.

I changed my "theme"/background.  It's very pink! Let me know if you like it.